Tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

October 27, 2026 by 6 Comments

Back to Basics: 20 Tutorials for the Beginner

Recently Ginger sent me a message she’d received.

Well, what should I do about that? Of course I’ll make a primer for beginners! I picked 20 (there are more than 430!) that I believe will be most useful for someone just learning the ropes. By all means, if YOU dear readers have suggestions to add to the primer, shoot me a message and I’ll add them on. Each of the tutorials will be in BOLD COLOURED UNDERLINED text – they’re ALL hyperlinks. Just click on the one you want and you’ll be whisked away to the exact spot.

I think the best place to start is with actually SETTING UP PREFERENCES in Photoshop Elements. For the software to be truly useful, it needs to make sense to the user. So setting one’s own preferences can make a huge difference to the user-friendliness of the whole thing.

Elements has its own lingo and the terms used can be very… obscure. So here’s a GLOSSARY OF COMMONLY USED TERMS.

Elements is, at its most basic, a TOOLBOX. Knowing what the Tools are called, what they do and how to maximize them for digiscrapping helps a LOT!

I’m a big proponent of WORKING SMART, NOT HARD – in all things. Digiscrapping is supposed to be fun, but if you’re struggling to get the results you want, or you’ve only got a limited window to create within, WSNH tips are everything.

One really useful skill to develop is that of using KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS. Some are sort of universal, working with several different software packages. The most important one to learn right at the beginning is CTRL/CMD>Z – UNDO!!! [CTRL is a Windows command key, CMD has the same function in Mac operating systems.]

Now, let’s put some of this information to use. To lower the learning curve, USING A BASIC TEMPLATE is golden. Templates take a lot of the decision-making out of the equation by providing a road map to a solidly-designed layout. They’re NOT cheating!

Earlier versions of Elements allowed for more definite placement of objects – having the layer where you wanted something to go being the active layer – that seemed to just disappear with an update somewhere along the way. When you click-and-hold on a paper, for example, then *drag* it onto your layout, it’ll probably end up on top of all the layers, unless you use the tips in the OBJECT PLACEMENT tutorial. You’ll be able to more precisely place them when you understand the process.

That brings me to making the Layers Panel your friend. Looking at screenshots in tutorials where I’ve shown the Layers Panel in close-up, you probably aren’t seeing the same view when you’re working. For some reason, the software developer thinks having the WHOLE layout visible and crammed into the thumbnail – the little image of the Layer – so it makes you cross-eyed. Here’s how to change the LAYER THUMBNAIL APPEARANCE to make life better.

When adding objects to a layout, we often want to change the angle, rotate or move them in some way without “picking them up and toting them around”. Elements lets us decide where an object is “anchored” so that they can be swiveled FROM that point, rather than from the centre. Think of tilting a label or journal card while keeping one of the corners in a set spot. This is where ANCHOR POINTS come into play.

Shadows are vital to a pleasing layout. Knowing how they SHOULD look is an important factor, and if you’re not using a pre-shadowed template, you’ll need to figure them out. Here’s the link to some SHADOW BASICS.

Next, let’s look at some of the individual Tools and how to use them well. We’ll start with the BRUSH TOOL. This tool has infinite possibilities, and Brushes can take your good-enough layout right over the top.

Another Tool that’s used on virtually EVERY project you’ll ever do is the TEXT TOOL. Knowing how to choose the right settings for this Tool can save you a lot of frustration.

Okay. So. Fonts. Elements comes with a decent set of basic fonts, but there will be a time when you’re no longer content to use them. There are literally millions of them out there and more are being created all the time. There are websites where you can download free fonts and other sites where you can buy them. What do you do with them after you acquire them? INSTALL FONTS (WINDOWS 11)

Okay. So. USING fonts… How does one combine two or more fonts to create a cohesive, attractive title? One uses FONTOGRAPHY!

Let’s take that a step further… and turn some FONTS INTO A STICKER. This is something I use ALL the time! It’s easy and effective.

Here’s another way to make your titles more visually pleasing. ADD A STYLE.

Want some tips on creating PRETTY CLUSTERS?

I want to briefly touch on BLEND MODES so when you see that term in a tutorial, you have at least a definition. They can be very useful, even in a very basic way.

Putting all of this together is nice, but we all know a good photo can make or break a layout. Here are some easy PHOTO ENHANCEMENTS you can do quickly to give your photos more impact.

And now for something really awesome… how to CLOSE ALL THE FILES ON YOUR CANVAS without it taking all day.

Before I Close All here, I’d like you all to know that you can ALWAYS contact me directly with questions or suggestions, either by sending me a Private Message via the GingerScraps website, by commenting here or by email: obijankenobi@telus.net.

Whew. The Reader’s Digest version of Tutorial Tuesday, all in one place!

 

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking, Theres An App For That, Tutorials Tagged With:

Fresh Baked Friday @ Gingerscraps – 10/23/26

October 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Hello, scrappers, and happy Friday!

Fall is truly in the air, and our designers have jumped in with both feet! This week is packed with gorgeous fall and autumn kits, along with plenty of fun Halloween collections. Whether you’re scrapping colorful fall leaves, cozy autumn days, or the kids’ adorable Halloween costumes, you’ll have no trouble finding the perfect kit to capture all those seasonal memories.

And don’t forget to grab the October Monthly Mix! This fabulous collaboration is perfect for scrapping those vacation photos and preserving all your favorite travel memories.

So grab your favorite photos, check out this week’s goodies, and get ready for some creative fun. Happy scrapping, everyone!

Remember if you spend $10 in the store, you’ll get this great collab free.

Now let’s take a look at those fabulous fall kits.

Are you working hard on your challenges? If you complete any 10 challenges this month, you get this gorgeous collab (or a variety of other choices from previous challenge collabs) as a reward!

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With: , ,

Tutorial Tuesday (ish): Individual Style

October 20, 2026 by 1 Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Quote

Did anybody get the license of the truck that ran me over? I got both flu and Covid shots yesterday – as I’ve done for several years – and was literally shook by my immune response. I had chills to the point I needed socks under my electric blanket and the poor dog couldn’t stay on the bed with me. My teeth chattered hard enough I was worried I’d break some. I still have a headache and my arm is sore, but hope to be right as rain tomorrow. So today’s Challenge Spotlight will be a quickie.

I chose the Quote Challenge partly because I really love October, partly because I have enough energy to make it work. The Challenge is hosted by CathyK, and the main requirement is to use the provided quote as the inspiration for a layout. Participants don’t HAVE to use the actual quote on their layout, but if they don’t they must explain how the quote inspired them. For October, Cathy chose “October, the extravagant sister, has ordered an immense amount of the most gorgeous forest tapestry.” – Laura Goodman Salverson

Up first is this layout by dhariana. She’s put the quote inside a cutout in her background paper. By including an autumnal photo and using golds, russets, oranges and sky blue, she’s pulled the quote’s meaning into her layout. To get a closer look, click on the Scrapper’s name – it’s a hyperlink.

Now, THIS screams October to me. These berries, this orange… pbhill knew she didn’t need to add much more to the layout. She kept the embellishments on the neutral side to let the colour resonate. It speaks to the quote in every way,

Here, lawyerlyn has the colours of October and a little literary nod to “tapestry” with the plaid paper.

And last, Route66 said, “I was inspired by the quote with the fall colors and slowing down to enjoy reading in the autumn.” for her layout.

Now, while it’s still Tuesday in British Columbia, I’ll get this posted and go in search of some more acetaminophen. 😉

 

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Challenge Spotlight, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking Tagged With:

Designer Spotlight: October 2026 (Part 2)

October 15, 2026 by 1 Comment

Buzzbee Scraps!

I owe Karen (aka Buzzbee Scraps) a HUGE apology. When I posted Part 1 for October’s Designer Spotlight, I’d indicated that Karen hadn’t been in touch to chat with me. Little did I know she’d been trying to contact me via email for a couple of weeks already at that point, and for some reason, I wasn’t getting her emails. Ginger was acting as our go-between and finally sorted it all out for us so we FINALLY had our visit. I feel just awful that she’s missed HALF of her Spotlight month. I hope we can make up for that…

J: Karen, I can’t explain what happened with my email. Ginger shot me a test this morning and she was able to get one through. Oof. Sorry!! Let’s not waste another minute!! I think I know the answer to this but can you share with us how you arrived at your Designer name?

K: It’s really simple actually. My surname is Busby and I absolutely love bees lol. So I sort of combined the two.

J: I figured it was something like that. I adore bees. Well, all the pollinators… living in an orchard city as I do, they’re a vital part of our economy. So of course I love the logo you created. 😉 What other kinds of things inspire your creativity for new collections?

K: Colours are a big inspiration. I will see a colour combo while out and about (often in nature. I am so inspired my the natural world. Which is why a lot of my kits feature cute, critters)! and that will start my brain working on themes that would work with the colours. Other times it might be a life event that I have recently experienced, such as weddings, birthdays, being with my family, days out and walks in the countryside. Just everyday experiences that I think would need documenting.

J: [Note to readers: Karen puts “u”s in words like Jan does. 😀 ] Well, that’s a lovely segué into asking the favourite-child question… do you have a favourite kit or collection?

K: I think probably my Photographer kit <hyperlinked>. The colours are not what I would normally choose. But I saw them together on a birthday card and loved the combo. The theme came easily as I have always wanted to make a photography kit. Photography is a big hobby of mine and so it was really fun to make. Customers loved it too and that really warmed my heart.

J: LOL! Remember these comments, folks. I actually kinda like this colour palette. I’m not usually a big yellow lover, but right now all the trees are sporting almost that exact shade. The kit is fabulous!! So what does a typical workday look like for you?

K: I get up around 7.30. Have my tea and toast then go for an hour long walk with my rescue dog, Tilly. Then it’s back home to feed and clean out my 4 rescue guinea pigs. After that it’s kettle and computer on for design work until lunch time. After lunch, I will do any errands that are needed and visit my mum. She has early stage Alzheimer’s and I pop in to see her most days. Then I will be back at my PC until 5 ish. Then I walk Tilly again, feed her, sort out the guineas and get dinner started. Dinner is usually around 7.00. On Thursday & Friday I also dog sit little Maggie. So I fit that in too!. Sometimes I will work a bit more on my designs after dinner depending on energy levels. My design work has to fit around everything else. So I often do some over the weekend too. I love it though and I feel so fortunate to be living the life that I do.

J: I’m so not a morning person. Having to be at work by 7 am for day shifts was such a struggle for me. I envy people who can be productive before 10 am! I’m sorry to hear about your mum. Mine is nearly 91 and still as sharp as ever. My sister and brother live with her, so I don’t worry about her (much). Is there anything about your design process that would surprise me?

K: Usually that I don’t use a lot of AI. A few elements may be made with AI. But I try to avoid it. I prefer things to be my own work. All of my patterned papers are made my me. I don’t use AI to generate patterns , make tags or wordart etc. Hopefully, that keeps my designs unique to me. But who knows. Maybe that means that I will get left behind. I’ll take the chance lol.

J: AI isn’t at all intelligent! I do historical research and the amount of garbage being produced by AI when documents are transcribed is ridiculous. I waste a lot of time having to locate and read/transcribe things for myself. It’s kinda funny about Ukraine taking out all the Russian bot farms though. Do you have any specific goals you’ve set for the next year when thinking of your design work?

K: I would really love to be producing more designs. I have so many ideas and not enough time to get it all done. Maybe I will get better at managing my time lol. I just want to keep on creating things that people want to use in their memory keeping. I came to designing late when the market was already flooded with amazing designers. So carving out my little spot is taking time. I am so happy with the feedback that I get from my sweet, customers. It really does spur me on. Hopefully, over the next year, I can get more kits made. So I guess the thing that I would like to accomplish is just “more”!

J: I think you’re doing pretty well, ma’am! If you couldn’t be a Designer, how would you feed your creative needs?

K: As I came to designing later in life. I already had a career in early years childcare. My favourite part of that was being a children’s nanny, where I could use my creativity a lot. I really enjoyed encouraging children to explore their own creativity too. I started my working life as a horse riding instructor though and worked training horses and riders for many years. If I wasn’t designing now, I probably would be a nanny still. Although I have often toyed with going back into the horse world – though not too much creativity there!

J: Kids are great for keeping one on one’s toes. My entire nursing career was in pediatrics… no stinky adults for me! One of my former patients was on our unit for a long time, long enough to make us a chain of origami cranes to brighten up our nursing station. I loved that child so much! Every day was a (virtual) K-Pop dance party in that room. What tune really gets you bopping along?

K: This one is easy. Mr Brightside by The Killers. Here in the UK, it is usually played at any sort of gathering with music. People usually get up and dance to it while screaming the words. love it!

J: I’ll have to YouTube that one. It’s not familiar, but it must be a lot like Sweet Caroline or the Chicken Dance in the reaction it evokes. I really should track down that Hugh Jackman movie about the Neil Diamond impersonator, if only just for the music. Is there a movie you can watch over and over and still love it?

K: This one takes some thought. There are three. Can I have three? They are – In Pursuit Of Happiness, The Lion King (original cartoon) and The Greatest Showman. It depends what sort of mood I’m in. But if you are forcing me to pick one. It has to be In Pursuit of Happiness. it’s so uplifting and a reminder that things can get better. I always cry happy tears at the end lol.

J: I love all three of those… speaking of Hugh Jackman. 😀 Of course you can choose three! But for this last question, you cannot have three. Just one. What one food could you happily eat every day for the rest of your life?

K: Well. I absolutely could not live without chips. So I’ll say that. I mean the french fry kind. I think crisps are called chips in other countries? I mean the ones that you get in fish & chip shops in the UK. (not the small, crunchy things in packets) But I love pub chips, oven chips and homemade chips. So my answer would definitely be chips!

J: YUMMMM! In eastern Canada we have chippers – food trucks that make absolutely sublime chips. With malt vinegar and lots of salt. <stomach rumbles, entering the chat> When I was quite small, for a treat, we got authentic fish and chips – wrapped in newspaper and smelling incredible – for our supper on Friday nights. I judge ALL fish and chips against that memory. <stomach becoming a problem…> I know it’s quite late on your side of the pond, so I’ll wrap this up. As usual, Karen is providing us with a fantastic Daily Download as part of her Spotlight, AND she has a coupon!

As for Challenges, Karen hosts the monthly Photography Challenge 😉 and is co-hosting the Designer Spotlight Challenge for this month.

Make sure you check out her Store!   Buzzbee Scraps

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Daily Download, Digital Scrapbooking, Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, Feature Designer, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With:

tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

October 13, 2026 by 3 Comments

Paper Tears and Curls – Advanced (Part 1)

I hope you had a chance to review the paper tear tutorial I recently updated. Today we’re going to build on that and the end result will be another shadowbox look with lots of texture. There are quite a few screenshots but they’re mostly recapping and expanding. Let’s jump in. Today’s technique will create the appearance of tearing thick, heavy, multi-ply cardstock. When you choose your papers, make sure they have visible texture. [The two kits I’ve pulled from have been retired, but there are lots of others that will work beautifully.]

There are a couple of ways to reveal the background paper; you could just shift the top paper layer to expose the background (which can create problems with shadows later), or you can use the Rectangle Marquee Tool to outline the part you want to remove, then use the Edit>Cut or CTRL/CMD>X command. Then make a Copy – right-click>Duplicate Layer>OK or CTRL/CMD>J of the top layer, which will become the white paper core.

It could be my rapidly-deserting-me vision, or it could be the screenshot – it’s blurry. But what you need to know is that when you’ve used a paper like this one with an irregular surface, just dumping some white paint onto with the Paint Bucket isn’t going to work. Instead, I clicked Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color.

Turn off visibility for the top purple paper layer while you do the next steps. Make sure you’re only adding the solid colour to the piece, not the whole canvas. Check the box for Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask.

Of course, the Fill Layer isn’t firmly attached to the paper layer underneath it until you Merge the two layers. Click>SHIFT>click on the two layers then right-click and choose Merge Layers, or CTRL/CMD>E.

This step is optional. To knock down some of that bright whiteness and add a bit more interest, I’ve added some noise: Filter>Noise>Add Noise

The speckled appearance can be adjusted. Play with the slider until the Preview looks good to you, with Distribution set to Gaussian and tick that box for Monochromatic. (Otherwise, the noise will have some psychedelic qualities. 😉 )

Time to tear it up! Turn on visibility for the top purple paper layer and make sure it’s active. Choose the Eraser Tool and set it to Brush. Go into the Brush Selector by clicking on the tiny triangle to the right of the thumbnail. (And pretend there isn’t a typo in the screenshot. 😀 )

Look near the top of the list that opens for Artistic Brushes. They’re PSE-integrated Brushes, so they will be there. Select the one indicated.

Using a combination of random clicks and some click-dragging, tear a strip off that purple paper.

I’ve zoomed in so you can see the texture the Artistic Brush and the Noise Filter add to the image.

Then repeat the process on the white core layer. Be messy!

Zoom in on a nice, wide spot in your white core. Add a new blank Layer on top. This is where the delamination of your multi-ply cardstock happens.

Set your foreground colour to whatever colour you prefer for your shadows. I used black here. Go to the Brush Tool, and select the Drop Shadows set. They’re also PSE-integrated Brushes. I chose an 8 pixel square Drop Shadow Brush at 100% Opacity to add a squiggle. Don’t worry if it hangs over onto your coloured paper.

Oops! Another typo! That’s what I get for editing screenshots when there’s a lot of glare. I can’t always see what I’m typing. Anyway… although the Drop Shadow Brushes have softer edges that Basic Brushes do, this is still too harsh, so I added a Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur

I decided a Radius of 1.7 pixels was good, but you might want more, or less. Watch the Preview. You do you!

Adjusting the depth and angle of the shadow is done with the Smudge Tool; I used Size 30 pixels, Strength 46%. I pushed and pulled spots randomly to make a more realistic shadow.

To put a cleaner, sharper edge on the delaminated spot, I used a hard, round Brush, 12 pixels and 100% Opacity with the Eraser Tool. I also cleaned up where the squiggle overlapped the purple paper.

Last thing is to make sure the shadow lets what’s underneath it show through. Change the Blend Mode to Linear Burn. And you have another type of paper tear! You can adjust the Opacity of the squiggle until you’re happy with the look – but zoom out first so you can see the actual change.

Next time I’ll turn some of the white core tears into curls and we’ll shadow up the paper layers. As soon as I figure out an easier way to do that… Pray for overcast skies here so I can see what I’m doing!

 

 

 

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Digital Scrapbooking, Tutorials Tagged With:

October 9 2026: Fresh Baked

October 9, 2026 by 1 Comment

Happy Friday Scrapppers. We have got a lot of great new kits for you this week with Fall and Halloween making prominent appearances.

Remember if you spend $10 in the store, you’ll get this great collab free.

How are your challenges going? If you complete any 10 challenges this month, you get this gorgeous collab (or a variety of other choices from previous challenge collabs) as a reward!

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With: , ,

$2 Tuesday AND 50% off STORE-WIDE

October 5, 2026 by Leave a Comment

 $2 TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY + 50% OFF + TWO FREE COLLABS?! YES, PLEASE!

Happy Tuesday, scrappy friends! Digital Scrapbooking Day may have been Saturday, but we are NOT done celebrating yet!
Today you get the best of BOTH sales! Our $2 Tuesday & Wednesday goodies are waiting for you AND the GingerScraps 50% off storewide Digital Scrapbooking Day Sale is still going strong! (Some restrictions apply.) If there’s something on your wish list you’ve been thinking about, this might be the little nudge you needed.
And then there are the FREEBIES!
Spend $10 and get our beautiful October GingerBread Ladies collab, Autumn Woodlands, FREE!
Spend $20 and you’ll ALSO get our huge Digital Scrapbooking Day Mega Collab, Wander the World, FREE!
That means a $20 purchase can put BOTH incredible collabs into your downloads along with all the goodies you picked out. Now THAT is some serious scrappy bang for your buck!
But don’t wait too long! Our 50% off Digital Scrapbooking Day Sale AND the FREE Wander the World Mega Collab end October 8th, so there are only a few days left to take advantage of all this DSD goodness.
And while you’re visiting, don’t forget to peek at the special DSD Grab Bags, join the fun and games happening in the forum, and see if you can conquer our Shop Scavenger Hunt!
Seriously… $2 Tuesday, 50% off, two FREE collabs, Grab Bags, games AND a scavenger hunt?! We really did pack everything but the kitchen sink into this celebration.
Come play, shop, scrap, and enjoy these last few days of Digital Scrapbooking Day fun with us!
Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking

Designer Spotlight (October 2026)

October 4, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Wetfish Designs

 

 

I know you’re all trying to get your Digital Scrapbooking Day activities out of the way, but Cyndi and I hope you have a few minutes to get to know her better. Cyndi is the creative mind behind Wetfish Designs and it’s her turn in the GingerScraps Designer Spotlight. I wasn’t able to fit in an actual coffee date so we chatted by phone.

J: Cyndi! How are you? I’m sorry we have to do this over the phone but my life has been a gong show lately. Let’s start with a softball: If you could describe your design style with just three words, what would they be?

C: The Kitchen Sink (a little bit of everything)

J: Hahahaha! Sometimes that brings the best results. Trying to shoehorn your work into a given shape can be the opposite of creative. Do you have a kit or collection that really makes you proud?

C: My Daily Download kit from last year, Rainbow Bridge. <hyperlink> When I designed that kit I had just lost two of my pets. Every time I see a layout in the gallery with that kit I am reminded of the joy that can come from remembering a love of a pet with boldness and without reservation. It is bursting with color and expression.

J: Pets are family! My two pups are what keep me from sinking some days. Our older one (she’s eleven) has a heart condition, but the vet says it’s stable for now so I’m feeling relieved.  I know I’ll have to use your kit eventually, so thanks for making it cheerful. We know what inspired THIS kit… what inspires you more generally?

C: Home interiors are my go to inspiration for most of my kits. I stay up to date on design trends with Pantone and of course, Pinterest. Anthropologie, Home Goods, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and similar retailers also give me ideas.

J: Not the answer I was expecting, but being familiar with your work, it makes total sense! What do you find challenging about digital scrapbook designing?

C: I try not to think of things as challenges as much as opportunities. Recently Facebook started charging small businesses to post more than two active links a month. It is way too expensive for me so I’m trying to think out of the box and come up with other ways to reach my customers with my new releases and sales. Ginger had suggested being more active in the forum so that is my goal for this month, to do just that. So the challenge may be Facebook placing limitations on my reach, but the opportunity of using the forum (which I really have not used to date) is the now upon me.

J: As IF Mr Zuckerberg needs more money. <sigh> I used to enjoy Facebook and kept in touch with so many people I don’t see all the time, but now it seems like all it is is ads, sponsored posts and “suggested for you” stuff from accounts I couldn’t care less about. I’ve significantly decreased my interactions there and may let it go altogether. But the GS Forum? That’s great social interaction with like-minded people. I like the way you framed this challenge-vs-opportunity concept though. But let’s move away from the oligarchy and the sad world we live in. If you could live in a fictional universe, what would that look like. (No superheroes needed.)

C: I read a lot, so this one is tough. It is like choosing a favorite child 🙂 I’m currently reading Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon and really loving it. So today I think I want to live in 16th century Ireland!

J: I know WAY too much about 16th century Ireland to even consider that… 51% of my DNA is from there. My more recent genealogical Irish history is pretty bleak so, no thanks. I love Ireland to my core and would teleport myself to modern-day Ireland in a heartbeat, but I’d never time travel there. Where would you choose to teleport if that was a thing?

C: I would definitely be beaming myself up and over to Scotland! I’ve never been there and it is on my bucket list. I love the moody atmosphere and the breathtaking scenery. When I’m reading I often put ambience videos on my tv and Scottish Highland videos are my favorite!

J: AHA!! The tie-in to your Wild About Styles Challenge that I completely missed! I’m one of those weird people who enjoys bagpipe and tin whistle music, so I may want to join you! I could listen to Celtic Thunder’s Caledonia on repeat. (Don’t tell anybody, but I HAVE! 😉 ) If you had a theme song, what would it be?

C: Goodness of God by Jen Johnson/Bethel Music. This has been the song Apple ranks as my “Anthem” every year when it gives me an overview of my listening habits on iMusic. There are many covers of this song that I also enjoy but this is the version I gravitate towards anytime I need encouragement. It is also probably one of the only worship songs that I can sing by heart without pretending I’m doing karaoke.

J: I’ll have to look that one up. Y’know… for those moments when I need encouragement, instead of grabbing a tub of ice cream and a spoon. I’m all in on Chapman’s Salted Caramel super premium these days. And the scale is complaining. What flavour would you grab?

C: Baskin Robbins’ Jamocha Almond Fudge. All day.

J: I’m having dessert at your house! If we were having a dinner party and you could invite (and have them accept!) any three people – real, living or not – who would they be?

C: This is hard because I think who I pick is very much determined by where my head and heart are at the moment. But today? I want to be in my childhood home at the dining room table with my now deceased mom and dad and my grandfather, Pop. Lots of memories around that table and I miss them all so much.

J: I feel you. Last weekend we scattered my dad’s ashes and it was both draining and comforting. It felt like he was there, just out of sight. I know my mom was feeling him next to her. Anyway, enough of that. One last nosy question… If you weren’t a digital scrapbooking designer, what other creative path do you think you’d take?

C: A writer. I finally started writing the novel I always wanted to write. I took a few months off from that to let it breathe. As the weather turns
colder and I’m inside more I will return to my novel and keep crafting it. I am completely addicted to watching book influencers and YouTube videos about books and writing. I don’t ever see myself as having a YouTube channel or video channel of any kind though!

J: They say we all have a book inside of us. Keep on writing!! Who knows, you could be the next Elsie Silver, with several best-sellers and your own Netflix series in production! Thanks for the chat. Time to get to the practical part of the Spotlight…

There are two Designers in the Spotlight this month; Karen (Buzzbee Scraps) hasn’t chosen so far to be grilled on my spit. But she and Cyndi are both providing a Daily Download kit for all of us. Cyndi‘s sneak peek is below.

Cyndi has a Spotlight coupon code too…

And in addition to her regular monthly Wild about Styles Challenge, she’s also hosting one of the Designer Spotlight Challenges for October. Go check them out!!!

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Daily Download, Digital Scrapbooking, Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, Feature Designer, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With:

October 2 2026: Fresh Baked and DSD Sales, Fun and Games

October 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Are you ready friends? It’s DSD time again. I hope you are ready for a week of sales, fun and games, and more!

The Mega Collab for DSD is amazing if you love to travel.

Remember if you spend $10 in the store, you’ll get this great collab free.

Let’s see what we have this week. There are a lot of Grab Bag, Build Your Own Bundle, and big sales opportunities for DSD.

Take a look at the new challenge reward kit. If you complete any 10 challenges this month, you get this gorgeous collab (or a variety of other choices from previous challenge collabs) as a reward!

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking, Digital Scrapbooking Day, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies, sales Tagged With: , , ,

October 1 2026: New Buffet, New Free with Purchase, Designer News, and SO MUCH MORE!

October 1, 2026 by 1 Comment
Hello October and spooky season! A brand new month is here, and you know what that means at GingerScraps. Fresh inspiration, beautiful new goodies, and so many fun reasons to play with your photos and tell your stories. And October is also DSD 2026 month. Keep reading to end of the newsletter for a sneak peek. DSD 2026 starts tomorrow, October 2.
This month is packed with everything you love. A brand new Free With Purchase collab, a gorgeous new Monthly Mix, and a colorful new Buffet filled with kits ready to spark your creativity. We also have a whole new batch of AMAZING challenges waiting for you in the forum, along with a brand new reward you can earn by completing just 10 challenges this month.
And that’s not all. Please help us give a big GingerScraps welcome to our two new Feature Designers, Buzzbee Scraps and Wetfish Designs. They will be filling the blog with freebies EVERY day, giving you even more reasons to stop by, get inspired, and scrap along with us all month long.
October is here and the holidays are getting closer every week. We cannot wait to see what you create!
*A brand new Free With Purchase collab
*A gorgeous new Monthly Mix
*A colorful new Buffet that has a great mix of kits (and a lot of spooky season kits)
…and so much more!
Next let’s look at the September Buffet. Don’t forget to check out the Buffet Bundles. One easy click to add bundles of Buffet goodies to your cart.
Have I mentioned we have spooky season kits? Look at these gorgeous October colors.

Step into the beauty of the changing season with Autumn Woodlands, a charming collection inspired by peaceful forest walks and crisp autumn days. Filled with woodland deer, hedgehogs, mushrooms, butterflies, acorns, leaves, berries, flowers, rustic wood textures, and forest-inspired details, this collection captures the cozy magic of autumn in nature. This collab is a little smaller BUT it includes a 4 pack of templates!

A warm palette of deep brown, earthy greens, mustard, golden ochre, soft cream, peach, and muted coral gives Autumn Woodlands a beautiful rustic feel, while delicate florals and vintage-inspired details add a touch of sweetness. Perfect for documenting fall adventures, woodland walks, nature photos, pumpkin season, and cozy autumn memories.

This collab includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 37 Papers, 41 Elements, and 4 12×12 Template {png & psd file formats}.

This Free With Purchase was created by  CarolW Designs, Craft-tastrophic, and Scrapbookcrazy Creations by Robyn.

Pack your bags and get ready for adventure with Jet Setter, a stylish collection celebrating the excitement of travel. Filled with airplanes, passports, luggage, travel documents, cameras, maps, globes, boarding passes, airport signs, and fashionable travelers, this kit is perfect for documenting vacations and journeys near and far.

A sophisticated palette of blues, teal, lavender, plum, soft pink, and neutral tones gives Jet Setter a fresh and modern feel, while the coordinating papers add plenty of patterns and texture. Whether you’re scrapping a dream vacation, a weekend getaway, an international adventure, or simply your love of travel, Jet Setter is ready for takeoff!

This kit includes: 2 Alphas {Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 59 Papers, and 100 Elements.

This Monthly Mix was created by Aimee Harrison, Connie Prince, LDragDesigns, Let Me Scrapbook, and Moore Blessings Digital Design.

October’s Daily Download is provided by Buzzbee Scraps and Wetfish Designs. Stop by the blog each day in October to collect pieces of these beautiful kits.

We are very excited to announce that Kelley Danielle Design is staying on as a permanent designer at Gingerscraps. Let’s welcome her to the family!
Take a look at the new challenge reward kit. If you complete any 10 challenges this month, you get this gorgeous collab (or a variety of other choices from previous challenge collabs) as a reward!

Bring the warmth and deliciousness of fall into your scrapbook pages with Autumn’s Kitchen! This cozy collection celebrates autumn baking, homemade treats, and all the little comforts of the season. Filled with adorable kitchen details, pies, breads, pumpkins, apples, spices, mixing bowls, flour, sugar, recipe cards, cozy mugs, and charming autumn florals, it is perfect for documenting baking days, family recipes, harvest traditions, and time spent together in the kitchen.

Rich shades of rust, orange, mustard, deep green, brown, cream, and burgundy create a warm vintage-inspired palette, while beautiful patterns and coordinating glitter papers add even more versatility. Whether you’re scrapping favorite recipes, Thanksgiving baking, pumpkin treats, or simply the cozy feeling of an autumn kitchen, Autumn’s Kitchen is sure to make your memories look delicious!

This kit includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase}, 60 Papers, and 124 Elements.

This Challenge Reward was created by Cutie Pie Scraps, Designs by Lisa Minor, and Ilonkas Designs.


Sneak Peek time. DSD 2026 starts on Friday, October 2.

Filed Under: Buffet, Daily Download, Digital Scrapbooking, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With: , , ,
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